


Lifers

by bestthreemonths



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 11:12:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4833260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bestthreemonths/pseuds/bestthreemonths
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the eve of the 2015 Women's World Cup, The New Kids spend a day together in New York, but something is weighing heavy on Lauren's heart, and she can't put it off any longer.</p>
<p>(Yeah, it's probably what you think. Proceed with caution.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lifers

**Author's Note:**

> The title is inspired by a tweet from one of the girls. I can't remember who or when though, and I can't find it now. But it basically just said "lifers" referring to them being friends for life, and it was cute. Trust me, though, it happened.

Lauren Holiday doesn’t think she’s ever felt so content. She knows her excitement and anxiety for the World Cup is boiling just beneath the surface, but for now she’s focused on living in the present. And in the present, she’s surrounded by her two best friends, about to embark on the journey of a lifetime.

She thinks back to all they’ve achieved together, from their first Olympic Games to their World Cup heartbreak to their second Olympics, a redemption of sorts. But the real redemption is yet to be seen. This is it, Lauren knows. She feels more confident going into it than ever before, maybe because she knows leaving will be that much harder if they don’t win.

She, Tobin, and Amy—the New Kids who aren’t so new anymore—spend their day off together exploring New York City. Tobin brings a soccer ball for them to kick around Central Park, A Rod approaches strangers on the street to get their best recommendations for brunch and coffee, and they laugh and eat and take in a beautiful production of Peter Pan on Broadway. To cap off their perfect Sunday, they attend Hillsong Church together in the evening, and as the sun is setting, Lauren wants to tie up the moment in a little bow and carry it with her forever.

Lauren has been considering how to talk to the other girls about her upcoming announcement, putting it off every time she gets close. She knows she wants to do it before they get to Canada, and time is running out. But when she hears the message about leadership, greatness, and listening to the voice of God, her eyes fill with tears. It’s time.

She’s quiet after church, which is not unusual, but A Rod seems to sense something is off. “Are you okay?” she asks. “Do you want to get a cab back to the hotel?” They’re within walking distance, but they’re not in any position to overexert themselves if someone isn’t feeling well.

“No, we can walk,” Lauren says. “But can we stop somewhere for dinner? I want to treat you guys.”

“Heck yeah!” Tobin agrees, but A Rod looks concerned. “Sorry, I just heard food.”

Lauren laughs, throwing an arm over A Rod’s shoulders. “Let’s do it then!” They find a quiet cafe that looks healthy and nice enough, sitting in a booth in a corner in the back. After ordering their drinks, Lauren takes a deep breath.

“I need to tell you guys something,” she says.

A Rod’s face loses all color. “You’re pregnant,” she says.

“What?” Lauren exclaims, laughing despite herself. “No! Don’t be ridiculous. We have a World Cup to win before that even becomes a thought.”

“Thank goodness,” A Rod says. “You scared me. I don’t know what I would do if this team lost you.”

Lauren smiles uneasily. “That’s the thing,” she says. “And before I say it, I want you both to know how much I love you. You’re so important to me, and I’m so blessed beyond measure to have you in my life. You encourage me and push me and hold me accountable, and you are the best friends and teammates I could have ever asked for. I will never be able to tell you how thankful I am for that.”

“Chen,” Tobin says. “What’s going on?” The waiter comes with their waters, and the girls pause to thank him.

“I’m retiring after this year,” Lauren says. And there it is. It’s the first time she’s said it out loud to anyone except Jrue, and the emotions overwhelm her, her eyes filling with tears.

“Not funny,” Tobin says, but A Rod is silent.

“I’m serious,” she says. “I’ve been thinking about it—praying about it—for a while now. There are so many things I want to do with my life. I want to help people. I want to be a mom, and A Rod, what you do with Ryan is amazing, and you’ve inspired me so much. But I’ve just been feeling this tugging on my heart that says it’s time. I’ve had so many amazing years filled with so many experiences and memories that I’ll never be able to replace even if I wanted to, but I feel like God is telling me this season is over, and I need to move forward.”

“You do help people,” A Rod says, shaking her head. “You’re an inspiration to little girls everywhere.”

“And that’s amazing,” Lauren says. “But I’m supposed to be doing so much more. This is painful for me, maybe the most painful thing I’ve ever had to do. But I’m trying to listen to the still, small voice of God, and it’s getting louder and louder.”

A Rod can’t contain her tears now. “You can’t,” she says. “It doesn’t make sense. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. I worked so hard after Ryan, and now…”

“A Rod,” Tobin says gently, putting her hand over Amy’s, but she yanks it away. “Cheney, you’re going to be amazing at whatever you do. I think it’s clear that both of us are going to miss you. A lot. It’s never going to be the same.”

“You can’t just leave me,” A Rod says, taking shaky breaths in. “You can’t leave us.”

Lauren is crying harder now, and Tobin feels helpless, stuck in the middle. “I’m not leaving you,” Lauren says. “Winning this World Cup with you guys, this is going to be the cap on an amazing career, but not our friendship. Lifers, remember?”

“Lifers,” Tobin agrees, looking to Amy for confirmation, but she’s just staring at Lauren in disbelief, eyes red and puffy.

“I really want you to understand,” Lauren says. “You know I’ve been thinking about it for a while. God has so much more to His plan for my life, and I have to be obedient. You know that.”

“Then why isn’t He telling me the same things?” A Rod asks. “I came back. I fought back because I thought it was supposed to be the three of us, always. If He’s telling you to leave, He should be telling us the same. It doesn’t make sense.”

Lauren nods. “It never does,” she says. “But look at you. You are back and better than ever. You are so strong on and off the field, and I can’t wait to see even more of what you’re capable of.”

“I’m going to go to the restroom,” Amy says, standing up to excuse herself. Lauren looks at Tobin helplessly, and Tobin just shrugs, giving her a sympathetic look.

Lauren follows A Rod, and when she gets to the bathroom, A Rod has completely given up any illusion of not crying. “I’m sorry,” Lauren says, her eyes filling again with tears. “I never meant to let you down.”

“You couldn’t,” Amy says through her sobs. “I’m so—” she gasps. “I’m so proud of you. I’m just in shock, I think.” She takes a shaky breath in, but she can’t catch her breath before she cries again. “I don’t know who we are without you. I don’t know who I am.”

“You’re Amy Rodriguez,” Lauren says, wrapping her arms around her friend. “You’re an Olympic gold medal-winning, professional league champion soccer player. You’re the best I’ve ever played with because of who you are as a person in addition to your insane skills as a teammate. These girls, the ones who have been around for a while and the new ones, they need you. You are such a force, such an amazing leader, a support system. You can do anything.” She rubs Amy’s back, soothing her as her breaths begin to slow, coming easier now through the quiet tears.

She turns when she hears the door to the bathroom open, and Tobin enters quietly, joining the hug. They all let themselves cry together, well aware that it’s only the first of many cry sessions to come.

“I love you, Cheney,” Tobin says, the first to break the silence. “This won’t change anything, we’ll just have to do a lot more Skype sessions. Right, A Rod?”

A Rod nods, pulling away from the hug. “I love you guys,” she says. “I’m so happy for you, that it’s all so clear to you. It just scares me because I’ve never heard anything quite so clear, and I worry that I’ll never know for sure.”

“You’ll know,” Lauren promises, stroking Amy’s hair. “And when you’re not sure, I’m just a phone call away to talk it out. Always.”

“Look on the bright side,” Tobin says, nudging A Rod. “Maybe now you’ll actually have a shot at winning Monop Deal.”

It’s not funny, not really in context, but they all laugh anyway. Tomorrow is the first day of their next big adventure, and their last one as The New Kids. There’s no longer time to cry or mourn for what might have been, it’s time to seize the day and make the most out of what is and is to come. And if they weren’t sure before that they would win it all, now they have something to win for.

**Author's Note:**

> Here are some questions to ease your commenting ;)
> 
> 1\. Favorite line?  
> 2\. Favorite New Kids moment ever?  
> 3\. On a scale from 1 to A Rod, how much are you going to miss Lauren? :(


End file.
